Sex differences in fronto‐limbic white matter tracts in youth with mood disorders

Abstract

Aims Patients with depression and bipolar disorder have previously been shown to have impaired white matter (WM) integrity compared with healthy controls. This study aimed to investigate potential sex differences that may provide further insight into the pathophysiology of these highly debilitating mood disorders. Methods Participants aged 17 to 30 years (168 with depression [60% females], 107 with bipolar disorder [74% females], and 61 controls [64% females]) completed clinical assessment, self‐report measures, and a neuropsychological assessment battery. Participants also underwent magnetic resonance imaging from which diffusion tensor imaging data were collected among five fronto‐limbic WM tracts: cingulum bundle (cingulate gyrus and hippocampus subsections), fornix, stria terminalis, and the uncinate fasciculus. Mean fractional anisotropy (FA) scores were compared between groups using analyses of variance with sex and diagnosis as fixed factors. Results Among the nine WM tracts analyzed, one revealed a significant interaction between sex and diagnosis, controlling for age. Male patients with bipolar disorder had significantly lower FA scores in the fornix compared with the other groups. Furthermore, partial correlations revealed a significant positive association between FA scores for the fornix and psychomotor speed. Conclusions Our findings suggest that males with bipolar disorder may be at increased risk of disruptions in WM integrity, especially in the fornix, which is thought to be responsible for a range of cognitive functions. More broadly, our findings suggest that sex differences may exist in WM integrity and thereby alter our understanding of the pathophysiology of mood disorders.

Per1 gene polymorphisms influence the relationship between brain white matter microstructure and depression risk

“…Several researches have indicated that the corona radiata is implicated in emotional and executive processing, major affected functions in MDD (97,98). Other WM tracts also have been reported involving the mood and cognitive function (99)(100)(101)(102). These results suggested that PER1-G heterozygote, 1/3 of Chinese college students, may be more prone to depression if they exhibited lower FA and higher RD and MD in emotionrelated WM tracts.…”

Enhanced Integrity of White Matter Microstructure in Mind–Body Practitioners: A Whole-Brain Diffusion Tensor Imaging Study

“…Higher cardiorespiratory fitness has been found to be associated with greater FA in a diverse network of WM tracts, including FX, in older adulthood [ 54 ]. FX is known to play a crucial role in various cognitive functions such as learning, working memory, and visuospatial abilities [ 55 ]. In fact, a study on patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia has shown that significant abnormalities existed in the major WM microstructure of bilateral FX [ 56 ].…”

Chronotype and subjective sleep quality predict white matter integrity in young people with emerging mental disorders

“…The wider programme has been described elsewhere (Carpenter et al, 2017; Crouse et al, 2020; Hermens et al, 2015) but briefly, involved administration of a protocol of self‐report questionnaires, interview‐based clinician‐rated scales, a neuropsychological test battery, and neuroimaging. While studies of this sample have examined relationships among WM and neurocognition, clinical stage, and alcohol/substance use (Hatton et al, 2014; Hermens et al, 2018, 2019, 2022; Lagopoulos, Hermens, Hatton, Battisti, et al, 2013; Lagopoulos, Hermens, Hatton, Tobias‐Webb, et al, 2013; Sacks et al, 2021), this is the first to examine WM integrity in a predictive framework and the first to examine sleep quality and chronotype. The participants were excluded if they met any of the following: (a) history of neurological disease, (b) medical illness known to affect cognitive/brain function, (c) received electroconvulsive therapy in the 3 months before assessment, (d) clinically evident intellectual disability, or (e) insufficient understanding of the English language to participate in testing.…”